Lack of funding halts van service

April 02, 2008|By VICKI ROCK, Daily American Staff Writer

The Somerset County Transportation System will suspend van service for some riders for almost three months.

The service is being suspended because the program is under-funded by $12,000, said Jeffrey P. Masterson, executive director of the Community Action Partnership for Somerset County, Tableland Services Inc.

Riders between ages 18 and 59 — those whose trips are reimbursed through the state Human Services Development Fund (HSDF) — are the ones who will lose the service. The van system will remain in operation for people age 60 or older, those whose trips are reimbursed by medical assistance and those who pay the full fare.

“We are already in the hole,” Masterson said. “We found money to operate for March, but that’s it. The service will shut down as of the end of business on April 11. It will resume on July 1, if the funding has been released by then.”

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Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said the system will keep going for another month because of the kindness of the members of the HSDF committee, who allowed money to be re-allocated.

“We know how important that service is and we wanted enough time to get the notification out,” Tokar-Ickes said. “We are seeing declining amounts of HSDF funding from the state. It is federal money that is passed through the state. It is the only flexible funding available from the state. Every county appreciates it because we can use it as we see fit. We certainly hope by taking it to April 11, people can make other arrangements for the next few months and then we’ll look forward to the next fiscal year.”

People ride the vans to go to the grocery store, medical appointments and social service appointments, such as going to the Tableland office or to Bedford-Somerset Mental Health/Mental Retardation, Masterson said.

“There are also some individuals under 60 who come in from group homes to go to the Area Agency on Aging for congregate meals,” he said.

Letters explaining what has happened are going out to about 200 riders, Masterson said.

“It was not totally unexpected,” he said. “We’ve been trying to find money for months. This is the same fund that was held hostage several years ago, and after rallies and protests the money was restored. It’s a decision we made with regret. We were forced into it from a financial standpoint.”

No rallies are currently planned.

State Rep. Bob Bastian, R-Somerset, said hopefully additional funding can be found before April 11.

“I think the problem is that the governor wants to start new programs when he should fund existing programs,” Bastian said.

The challenge is to identify a sustainable line item of funding to keep critical programs going, Tokar-Ickes said.

“These are programs that touch people’s lives,” she said. “We take it very seriously.”

Arthur N. DiLoreto, administrator of the Area Agency on Aging and chairman of the HSDF committee, said the cut in service is another example of increased costs and the lack of adequate funds to sustain service levels.

“It is a challenge to everyone in the community who is affected by people who use these services to let their voices be heard by the governor and state officials,” he said. “This is a critical piece of funding that is used to fill the gaps that exist in the human services system. It’s not only unfortunate, it’s sad. It gives rise to the need for the community to join with the providers in sending a message loud and clear — the time has come to fund these services.”

Other members of the HSDF committee are representatives of the Salisbury Family Center, the Drug and Alcohol Commission and Bedford-Somerset Mental Health/Mental Retardation.

People who have questions about the service interruption are asked to call Tableland at 445-9628.